


Awaken and Return

by Varewulf



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Spoilers, Yuri, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22173487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varewulf/pseuds/Varewulf
Summary: A quick story where Edelgard doesn't recognise Byleth right away when she returns, except for one very prominent feature.Just wanted to play with the idea of what if Byleth had actually changed in the five years she was gone.Spoilers for the Crimson Flower time-skip period.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 16
Kudos: 203





	Awaken and Return

**Author's Note:**

> So this idea sprung from a combination of two things. First, seeing this artwork of a [long-haired Byleth](https://twitter.com/bearsketches/status/1214474694650318848) that Intsys were too cowardly to do in the game. Second, the idea that Edelgard wouldn't recognise a dishevelled Byleth coming back, except for the boobs she had stared at too much. It amused me so much I had to try to turn it into a fic.
> 
> Sothis's speech felt like a good way of opening things. I wrote another scene after that, but ended up deleting it. Cutting right to Edelgard felt like a better option, even if it kinda sucked to delete all that work.

...

"You... How long do you intend to sleep?"

...

"Your body is awake. Your eyes must open now, and you must find the strength to stand upon those legs of yours."

...

"Like so much rain, a pool of blood has fallen to the ground... As spears and arrows pierce the ground, it weeps. And even now... it weeps."

...

"In order to survive, they kill. And so, the people of this world are lost in an abyss of suffering. They weep as well."

...

"The only one who truly knows the nature of such things is I... or rather, you."

"I'm still sleepy..."

"You are a complete and utter fool! Have you not changed one bit?! Get on your feet. Right now! I will coddle you no more! You are just like a child, always needing me to hold your hand..."

* * *

"Five years to the day," Edelgard muttered to herself. "If none of this had happened, Garreg Mach would be celebrating its 1000th anniversary right now."

It was a strange thing to think about. A strange time for all of this to play out. She wouldn't have done things differently. It had to be done, and it had to be then. Waiting any longer would have been unconscionable. It had already been too long. She didn't have any regrets. But if she had been born in a different time... sometimes she imagined a world where none of this had to happen. What might her life have been like then?

There was perhaps one thing she felt regret over. Another promise that could never be kept.

Suddenly she sensed something in the room. "Halt! Who's there?" she called out as she turned around. The sight that greeted her left her speechless. It was a figure clad in torn clothing. In fact the figure looked practically half-naked, though she could see a large cloak on its back. The light was a little poor in that end of the room so it was hard to see the figure clearly, but she could tell its eyes were watching her.

Her breath felt caught in her throat. Was it some sort of vengeful spectre come to claim her? Were her sins catching up to her before she could complete her mission? Or was it an assassin created by the archbishop? She wouldn't put it beyond Those Who Slither in the Dark to create a being like that either, but she was certain she hadn't outlived her usefulness yet. Curse her foolishness for stepping away from her axe to look out the window. If she got out of this she would have a word with the guards. The figure wasn't moving, but she was certain that if she tried to call out it would be on her in an instant. Dashing for her weapon was her best shot.

"Edelgard?"

She froze upon hearing the figure speak with a voice that sounded hauntingly familiar. It stepped closer into the light, revealing a terrifying sight. Its outfit was in an even worse state than it had initially seemed. The skin was pale, and the whole figure looked wet. What had looked like a cloak seemed to be a lot of very long hair, some of which was plastered across its face, partially obscuring the features.

As she looked the figure over, Edelgard's eyes got fixated on the chest. With the clothing so torn and tattered, there was a fair amount of skin visible, and a rather large bosom pushing itself forth. She only knew a very small handful of people with breasts that large, and even if the skin was a little pale, she was certain she recognised these ones. She had stared at them a lot, after all. Just usually not quite so exposed.

"P-professor?"

The smile on the figure's face was all the answer she needed.

* * *

Edelgard tried her best not to stare while Byleth removed the shredded remains of her outfit, but it was really hard to look away.

"What happened to you, professor?" Edelgard asked.

"I was pulled out of the river," Byleth answered in a nonchalant tone.

"I see..." Edelgard was getting to see quite a lot. Of course she wasn't only staring for indecency's sake, she was also worried about Byleth's state. There didn't seem to be any grievous wounds, but after so long they surely would have healed anyway. Though the amount of scars she saw made her want to rub her own skin. Some of them looked very old. "W-wait, no, I mean... where have you been the past five years? Don't you understand how worried I- we've been? We searched everywhere for you!" Even just finding her body would have been some measure of peace, but there had been nothing.

"Has it really been five years?" Byleth asked.

"Yes!"

Byleth dispensed of the last bit of her clothing, and eased herself into the bathtub. Her skin had been really cold, which probably explained how pale it was. Edelgard had decided that a warm bath was the best decision. "I think I was asleep," Byleth said.

Edelgard shook her head. "You're joking at a time like this?" She had never understood Byleth's sense of humour. Then again... she watched the mass of green floating around her old professor. It certainly looked like it hadn't been cut in five years. And as far as she could tell her clothes were the same as they had been that day. It was hard to be entirely sure with how destroyed they were, but the sight of Byleth taking a direct hit from Rhea's dragon-blast had been seared into Edelgard's memory. Since they hadn't found _anything_ , they had wondered if it had completely evaporated her.

She moved a chair, and took a seat so she could see Byleth's face. Though the eyes were closed, and it was barely above water, it looked just like she remembered. If it wasn't for the excessive hair, she would have said it looked like she hadn't aged a day. "Say, professor..."

Byleth opened her eyes, and looked right back at Edelgard, whose heart skipped a beat.

"D-do you remember what you said all those years ago? That you would stand by me no matter how many enemies we faced?" Edelgard asked. She swallowed nervously before continuing. "Do you still feel the same way? Do you still... choose me?"

Byleth sat up, the long, green hair draping over her shoulders, before she gently put a hand on Edelgard's. "Yes. I'm with you," she said.

The wave of relief washing through Edelgard was so intense that it took her a moment to realise Byleth's boobs were now very exposed. She hurriedly looked away. "W-well, I'm sure you're aware of the situation we're in, so we should start talking about what to do next after... um... you're done," she said, hoping she wasn't drooling.

"I really don't know anything that's happened in the past five years," Byleth said.

Edelgard glanced back, and saw the blank look Byleth was giving her. "You're... not joking, huh? Then I guess I should fill you in."

* * *

Byleth had asked for Edelgard's help to dry off after the bath. The warm water had felt divine, as if it was seeping life back into her. Though honestly, aside from how cold she had been, she had felt fine physically. Whatever had happened during her five-year sleep, it seemed to have restored her body completely. Well, at least to the state it had been right before she got blasted. All her old scars were still present. There just weren't any new ones. She still couldn't actually remember the feeling of being hit, it all seemed to cut out just as the light became blinding.

The one thing that had truly changed about her body was the hair. So much hair. She had no idea what to do about it. That was mostly what she wanted Edelgard's help with. It seemed to have absorbed half the bathtub's worth of water, and had been a huge pain to dry.

"It's not very practical," she said. She wasn't used to hair that long. Surely it would just get in the way during combat. Then again, Edelgard's hair had been nearly as long back when she was a student. If anyone knew how to deal with it... "Maybe I should just cut it. What do you think?" she asked.

Edelgard paused her brushing. That was one upside. The brushing felt very nice. "I... I'm not sure that's necessary," she said. "We could just put it up somehow, like I have."

Byleth had noticed Edelgard's new hairstyle. Did it really contain all the hair she used to have? It seemed so comparatively small. "Hm..." But what would work for Byleth? An image of Sothis came to mind. "Do you think I'd look good in twin-tails?" she asked.

"Huh? W-well, I think you'd look good in anything," Edelgard said. "But if you're going for practical, it might not be the best choice."

That was a good point. It would probably swing around a lot. "I still want to try it," Byleth said anyway. "Will you help me?"

"Of course."

* * *

Once she got it brushed and tidied up a bit, Edelgard thought Byleth's long hair looked really nice and pretty. But there had also been something appealing about the wild bush it had looked like just after they dried it off. As if she could get lost in it. It was a curse that the professor looked great no matter what. And once they got the twin-tails done up, she couldn't help noticing how cute it looked. This was all very bad for her heart. Yet having her professor back was worth it.

"So what do you think?" she asked after doing the finishing touches.

Byleth was staring at herself in the mirror. "I barely recognise myself." Her fingers gently touched the glass. "I think I like it... but I'd have to try sparring with it," she said.

Part of why Edelgard wanted her to keep the long hair, and to put it up in some way, was that she wanted to see what it would look like when Byleth let her hair down. She knew those feelings were really selfish, but so long as they did no harm it was fine. Right? Though looking at it now that it was dry... was it just her imagination, or was it a slightly deeper green than it had been five years prior? Memory had a way of playing tricks on you, so she couldn't be sure.

Byleth got up. Her old outfit was completely unsalvageable. Taking a dragon-blast head-on would do that. The metal had shattered. The cloth was too torn to sew back together. One of the sleeves was missing. The tights were reduced to threads. So in her old quarters they had found a spare teacher's uniform she had gotten back when she started the job. It would do for the moment until she got something else, and more importantly it actually fit. Edelgard's clothes probably would not have.

"How do I look?" Byleth asked.

Edelgard smiled, for what felt like the first time in a very long while. "Lovely," she said, and hugged Byleth. "Welcome back, my teacher."


End file.
